Syfy announces 'Sharknado Week' around 'Sharknado 2' premiere

By Erin Strecker, EW

Updated 5:18 PM ET, Tue May 27, 2014

Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

These dancing sharks (especially the left one) became an Internet meme after dancing with Katy Perry during the Super Bowl halftime show in February 2015. Click through to see more of our favorite sharks in pop culture.

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Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

You've survived the cultural phenomena that were the first and second "Sharknado" movies without a bite. Now, stars Tara Reid and Ian Ziering have agreed to reprise their roles in "Sharknado 3," scheduled for a summer 2015 release.

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Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

Steven Spielberg's 1975 shark thriller "Jaws" gave birth to the summer blockbuster and a cultural love-hate relationship with swimming in the ocean. The filmmaker's classic also proved that these beasts were ready for their close-ups.

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Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

Maybe we can blame our current obsession with sharks on the generation who grew up watching "Jabberjaw," ABC's animated series that ran from 1976 to 1978. The kids' show was reportedly inspired by "Jaws," but this version was far more cuddly; Jabberjaw held regular jam sessions with his human pals.

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Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

Ever wondered where the phrase "jumped the shark" came from? You can thank the "Happy Days" writers for that one. In 1977, the beloved show took a plot turn it couldn't recover from when Henry Winkler's Fonzie literally "jumped a shark" while water skiing.

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Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

Decades before Syfy became the home of shark-related comedy, "Saturday Night Live" introduced "the cleverest species of them all" in its "Land Shark" sketch. It featured Chevy Chase as the trickster shark who preyed on unsuspecting humans with the lure of telegrams and flowers.

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Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

Disney's 1989 under-the-sea adventure "The Little Mermaid" began with a tense run-in with a shark. Unlike the chilling but affable characters Disney has produced lately, this shark was straight out of "Jaws" with its brutish strength and snapping teeth.

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Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

In 1997's "Austin Powers International Man of Mystery," all Dr. Evil wanted from his nefarious cohorts were "sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads." It was an impossible request at the time -- he had to settle for ill-tempered sea bass -- but in 2012, one marine biologist figured it out.

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Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

Out of all the sharks in "Deep Blue Sea" -- like this guy seen terrorizing LL Cool J -- there's one that particularly stands out. In the 1999 film, Samuel L. Jackson was in the middle of giving a stirring speech when a toothy killer popped up from behind him and practically devoured him whole.

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Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

Disney/Pixar brought Steven Spielberg's Bruce to life again in 2003's "Finding Nemo." This Bruce was just as terrifying -- especially to a clownfish dad hunting for his son -- but at least he tried to live by the rule that "fish are friends, not food."

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Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

In 2004, the shark wave rolled on with DreamWorks' "Shark Tale," featuring the voices of Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Renee Zellweger and Jack Black as Lenny the shark. With Hans Zimmer composing, the soundtrack had just as much bite.

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Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

Syfy created a pop culture monster with 2010's "Sharktopus," which featured a genetically engineered creature that was half-shark, half-octopus. It was clearly the next step to take after 2009's "Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus" battle, which featured an endlessly watchable scene of a plane being attacked by a ridiculously huge shark.

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Best sharks in pop culture13 photos

The build-up to "Sharknado" was quiet enough that many didn't see the cultural storm coming. Syfy didn't land monster ratings at first, but the film has had a long tail. Thanks to the intense fandom on Twitter, a sequel aired in summer 2014, and a third "Sharknado" will be out in summer 2015.

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Story highlights

Syfy seems to be taking that maxim to heart, announcing its own Shark Week of sorts (Sorry, Discovery), pegged to the upcoming release of "Sharknado 2: The Second One." "Sharknado 2," is, of course, a sequel to last year's super-buzzy, low-budget television movie, "Sharknado."

No one could forget the plot of "Sharknado 2," but here's Syfy's description once again: "A freak weather system turns its deadly fury on New York City, unleashing a Sharknado on the population and its most cherished iconic sites -- and only Fin (Ian Ziering) and April (Tara Reid) can save the Big Apple. The movie, directed by Anthony C. Ferrante from a screenplay by Thunder Levin, also stars Mark McGrath, Kari Wuhrer, Vivica A. Fox and Judah Friedlander, with cameo appearances including Kelly Osbourne, Judd Hirsch, Perez Hilton, Matt Lauer, Al Roker, Andy Dick, Robert Klein, Sandra "Pepa" Denton, Biz Markie, Downtown Julie Brown, Richard Kind and Kurt Angle, among others."

The week might become an annual thing — Syfy has already ordered a third Sharknado.